Pelosi: 'Republican Tactics on Medicare Bill Brought Dishonor to the House'

November 22, 2003

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement early this morning after Republican leaders took nearly three hours, believed to be the longest vote in the recorded history of the House of Representatives, to force several of their Members to switch their votes to pass their Medicare prescription drug bill:

"For three hours tonight, the seniors of America won the vote on Medicare prescription drug coverage. But then this vote was stolen from us by the Republicans.

"We had hoped the Republicans would want to win this vote fair and square. They didn’t. We won it fair and square, so they stole it by hook or crook. The whole time that Members were on the floor, there were overtures to Members of Congress saying, 'What do you want? What do you need?' They spent billions of dollars of the taxpayers’ money to win this vote on the floor.

"If there was ever an argument to be made for why Republicans are not fit to be in the majority in this House and why they must be defeated at the polls next year, one need only look at their conduct on the floor of this House tonight. It brought dishonor to this institution.

"America's seniors will not be fooled. They know this is not the beginning of a real prescription drug benefit under Medicare. They know this is the beginning of the end of Medicare as we know it. Democrats and seniors will not stop fighting for a defined, affordable prescription drug benefit that is guaranteed under Medicare."

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